AVS Cos. announced that Joe Franz has retired from the distributorship's day-to-day operations, effective Dec. 21. Franz will continue to advise AVS on government and trade affairs in Texas.
A veteran distributor, Franz had been an integral part of AVS for the past five years. In 2016, AVS acquired H.A. Franz & Co., a distributor of coin-operated equipment for 60 years, where Franz was president. H.A. Franz served operators in Texas and Oklahoma. Following the acquisition, Franz became AVS's vice president of Texas operations.
“I first met Joe in 1986 when we both attended various trade shows and distributor meetings for several manufacturers that both of our companies represented,” recalled AVS president Vince Gumma. “Over the years we became good friends, both in and outside the business."
Originally American Vending Sales, AVS Cos. was founded in 1971 in Chicago by Frank Gumma Sr. as a vending machine refurbisher and reseller. Today, the company is a leading distributor of vending machines, micro markets, OCS equipment, amusement and gaming devices, and jukeboxes. Headquartered in Elk Grove Village, IL, AVS has branch offices in Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis and Milwaukee.
